U.S. Attorney joins Oakland County discussion on gun violence

By JOHN TURK

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Recent studies show that states with high levels of gun violence often have the weakest gun legislation.

The above is only one of the points touched on by U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade in the third installment of an Oakland County informational series on how local residents are protected from gun violence.

As legislators and concerned citizens gathered in Washington, D.C. to push for a U.S. Senate vote on stronger gun restrictions, Oakland County held its own discussion with the U.S. Attorney and members of state and federal law enforcement communities.

Mention of the Center for American Progress study -- published by Arkadi Gerney, Chelsea Parsons, and Charles Posner earlier this month -- was simply "for your consideration," said McQuade in Thursday's meeting.

The study points out that although Michigan maintains some of the strictest gun legislation in the country, it ranks the 25th most violent state.

And "the trend in gun control laws is going a little more towards less gun restriction than more restriction," explained Chris Hawkins, Commander of legislative and legal resources for the Michigan State Police.

Hawkins, flanking McQuade during the discussion and speaking from a law enforcement -- and legal -- standpoint, spent most of his time Thursday explaining the complex Michigan gun laws currently affecting law enforcement and state residents.